The Darkness Within
by Tessryne
Summary: Fairy Tail has just defeated the Phoenix in Veronica, but for Gajeel, the fight for his life isn't over. (Rated M for language and sexual content)


**-=Hello all of my fellow Fairy Tail and Gajevy fans! First I want to thank everyone for their continued support and comments as you read through my other fics. Every single one brings a smile to my face and makes me giggle out loud; I am happy to have brought some joy and happiness and fluff to others out there who adore this couple as much as I do.**

 **This is yet another fic that I had started a while ago and let it sit and ferment. I came back and read over it with a clear mind and made some tweaks and I'm pretty happy with it. I hope you are too. I got the idea while watching the Phoenix Priestess Movie, so spoiler alert if you haven't watched it yet. I like to watch for open holes in the Fairy Tail story line where I can get creative and add a side story. So here it is! As always, I do not own Fairy Tail or it's characters.=-**

Thunder rolled through the gray skies as heavy sheets of rain cascaded down, soaking the ground and everyone who was unfortunate enough to be out in the down-pour, which amounted to be just about every single member of Fairy Tail. Their magnificent Guildhall lay partially wasted, not really a new occurrence for the rambunctious lot, but this time was different. A solemn mood shrouded the normally feisty group as they worked methodically, piecing together new timbers in an effort to rebuild.

News had traveled that a Phoenix had been revived by the guild that had lay waste to their headquarters, Carbuncle, and their disastrous leader, Dist, had used the ambitious Duke of Veronica to find and piece together the two halves of the fabled Phoenix Stones to resurrect the ancient foe. Fortunately Fairy Tail had been there to prevent the total destruction of the world and stopped the mechanical phoenix from it's self-prophetic Armageddon. Unfortunately, it came at the cost of losing their newest friends, Eclair and Monmon.

Levy sighed as she set down a sack of cement mix at her feet, having only managed to shuffle the distance of a few measly inches at a time with the heavy load. Her body ached from the previous days work, but despite that and the rain, she was determined to help her guild mates as much as she could. Beside her, Droy set down his burden of a few timber planks, his face flush and cheeks puffed with exertion. Levy gave him an encouraging smile.

"It's not so bad, huh? The rain actually feels kinda nice." She tilted her head back and closed her eyes, letting the heavy fat drops fall over her face, sending rivulets down over her cheeks and back through her soaking wet hair.

"If you say so," Droy puffed, still trying to catch his breath.

Levy straightened then, her mind wandering to focus on their absent team mate, wondering how Jet was fairing on their trek back home. Her mind also dared to wonder about a certain Dragon Slayer too, and she couldn't help but contemplate if their guildhall would have been wasted as much if only he had shown up just a few minutes sooner than he had. Silently, she hoped that he was alright.

A smile tugged at her lips then. Of course he was. He was incredibly strong and resiliant, cunning and...and... She felt her cheeks heating as she caught herself counting off all of Gajeel's mounting attributes. He certainly was growing by leaps and bounds within Fairy Tail, showing on more than one occassion his fierce loyalty to them all. Yes, she had no doubt that he was just fine.

Levy turned towards Droy then, feeling a new surge of energy. Droy grimaced and sweat dropped, knowing her expressions well.

"Let's go Droy! We need to have this completed before everyone comes back home." She bent over and heaved the heavy sack in her arms, feeling renewed as she turned and shuffled along towards a group of others who were hard at work building the framework.

"Aye..." Droy whined before he bent and scooped up the timbers, ambling slowly after the Script Mage.

Days Later...

Gajeel coughed hard, despite his numerous attempts to suppress the burning sensation that was steadily festering his insides. He felt Lily's intense gaze on him then from his perch upon his shoulder and he turned his head away to surreptitiously wipe the blood from his lips.

They had just disembarked the return train to Magnolia. Team Erza, Thunder Legion and the others were already well ahead of them as they all walked in silent reserve, emotions still raw from what they had endured and lost in Veronica.

The Iron Dragon Slayer paused, slowly sucking in a breath of air. Lily frowned, both feeling and hearing the unmistakable crackling deep down in his partners lungs, his concern for Gajeel outweighing the fear of being out in the middle of a thunderous downpour. He leapt down to the ground and turned to glare sternly up at the man in front of him.

"Just how long are you planning on suffering in silence?" He asked low, his furry brows creasing.

"Mind yer own business, cat." Gajeel growled in response, stepping around Pantherlily and continuing on after the others.

Lily fell in step beside him. "It was that Chase fellow, wasn't it?" He asked, peering up at his partner as they walked. Gajeel didn't respond, which was a confirmation in itself.

Lily said no more after that, but kept sparing glances up at Gajeel, noting the paleness of his skin. It was raining hard, soaking them to the bones, and the Exceed was willing to bet that despite the rain's cool touch, Gajeel was burning alive. He pondered quietly to himself, wondering about the possibility that the assassin had used a certain type of poison on his blades. Gajeel hadn't disclosed how their encounter had gone, and Lily was willing to bet that even though Gajeel had been the victor, Chase was malicious and crafty enough to use techniques that would slowly kill off his opponents if they were to escape him.

Surely Gajeel wasn't dense enough to not consider this possibility as well. So why was he being so stubborn and risking the potential fatal danger of ignoring his current ailment?

Gajeel fell into a fit of coughs, this time doubling over with the effort. Blood flew from his mouth, dripping down his lips and chin. Lily shifted into his battle form and slung the Dragon Slayers arm over his shoulder, supporting him as he practically dragged Gajeel along towards the guild. For once, Gajeel didn't protest, which further worried the Exceed.

"You need to tell me everything; every last detail." Lily demanded sternly as he steered them towards the guildhall.

"Tch, stubborn..." Gajeel growled, failing to see the irony in his rebuke, then proceeded to do just as Lily asked.

Levy smiled warmly at everyone as they started filing into the makeshift great hall. Their faces were grave, inspite of Fairy Tails victory and Lucy still looked to be grief stricken and heart broken. She gave Jet a quick reassuring hug before she moved over to Lucy, still tucked close against Natsu's side beneath his arm.

"Oh, Lu...I'm so sorry." Levy stated softly and offered her friend a comforting hug. All the while, in the back of Levy's mind as she greeted her guild mates one by one, she kept searching for one in particular, and started growing more and more concerned when the group had all settled at random tables, and Gajeel was still no where in sight.

 _I lurk far and wide within the darkness, just as sins do._

Gajeel grimaced, gritting his teeth against the pain that ravaged his insides. _Just a little while longer_ , he encouraged himself as Lily led him towards the guild. All the while a single visage gave him comfort and he held on to it mentally; a short statured woman with sky blue hair and a pure, radiant smile, telling him to just hold on.

A loud groaning of new iron hinges heralded the opening of the massive double doors that led into the Guild's great hall. Levy perked instantly from her lean against Shadow Gears table as her hazel gaze shot towards the doorway anxiously.

Silhouetted by the grey backdrop and illuminated ominously by a streak of lightning, two figures appeared upon the threshold, both unmistakable as Gajeel and Pantherlily, before they staggered inside, Lily clearly bearing most of the weight of the Dragon Slayer as they moved.

Levy didn't hesitate before she took flight from her table, heading towards the pair. A brief moment of relief washed over her at the fact that he had returned, but it was pushed aside by the stark realization that something wasn't right.

Levy reached their side in an instant, her hands reached out to touch Gajeel's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. He looked in so much pain that Levy paled instantly; his mouth was parted as he labored to breathe, lips curled back from the effort of suppressing his pain, baring his canines in a harrowing grimace. Levy knew that he must be enduring a level of hell itself but still managed to stay on his feet.

"Don't touch me!" He snarled at the Script Mage, his concern for her masked behind the callous demand. He dare not risk any of the corruption to wick into her.

Levy withdrew her hand instantly as if she'd been burned, her hazel eyes heavy with worry as she looked from Gajeel to Lily.

"What's wrong?" She asked softly, feeling closed in all of a sudden as guildmates crowded around them.

"Porly...usica." Gajeel ground out between clenched teeth. Levy refocused on him as he spoke, her eyes widening as she fixated on the blood that slowly trickled down over his lower lip.

Hushed murmurs sounded around them before Mirajane spoke up.

"I'll try to reach her on the communication lacrima!" She stated before her retreating footfalls could be heard in the silence that surrounded them.

Levy allowed her eyes to trace over Gajeel's form. She didn't see any external injuries, though his skin looked a sickly pale and was dotted with goosebumps. Water dripped from his clothing, pooling beneath his boots, his hair was soaked, hanging in loose tendrils around his pained face. She watched his chest heave with the effort of breathing and heard distinct crackling deep in his lungs.

Her hands rose to cover her lips as she realized just how bad off he was. "Lets get him to the infirmary, quickly!" She stated earnestly, turning to pave a way through the crowd for Gajeel and Lily to follow

Lily moved quickly to get his partner to the infirmary and settled onto one of the beds within the stark white room. Gajeel slumped back, groaning between shallow breaths.

Levy moved to stand beside Lily as she watched the Exceed start to peel off Gajeel's rain soaked clothing. Her cheeks blushed and she started to turn away, but stopped herself, instead reaching forward to assist the Exceed, but Gajeel rolled weakly away from her.

"What part of don't touch me dont'cha understand?" He wheezed harshly and moved to sit up with Lily's help as his heavy overcoat was pulled off of him, followed by his shirt. Levy noticed the rips and holes that dotted the clothing. He'd been stabbed?

She felt a lump forming in her throat, his tone chafing her exposed nerves from seeing him in such a state.

"I just want to help you, you id-" She started to bite back, but the words died on her lips as her eyes zeroed in on numerous punctures that covered his body. The sites looked blackened around the torn edges of flesh and the word "sin", marked in kanji, was stamped above each one.

She heard Gajeel wheeze a sigh before he slumped slowly back onto the bed.

"Just as I thought..." He muttered before lurching to his side as a heavy cough wracked his body.

Levy was just about to interrogate the both of them on just what had happened when Mira suddenly moved into the room, panting with panic.

"Porlyusica isn't answering. She...she mustn't be home." She added gravely.

Levy set her shoulders determinedly. The kanji that covered his upper body must have something to do with his current condition, and script magic was her specialty after all. With their trusted healer absent, and Wendy spent from their mission in Veronica, it suddenly fell on her to find a way to heal the Iron Dragon Slayer.

She turned her gaze back to Gajeel and then to Lily who had shifted into his smaller form and sat on the bed, obviously spent from the magical exertion he'd withstood in order to get his partner back home.

"What happened?"

Gajeel swallowed and opened his mouth to answer but stopped when Levy shot out a hand, hovering her palm over his lips, silencing him.

"You, don't talk." She demanded. "I can see that blood has seeped into your lungs, and probably within your abdomen as well, judging by the slight distention. It would seem that your blood is not clotting properly." Her eyes shifted to Lily then. "Just who did he go up against?"

Lily cleared his throat. "An assassin named Chase from the Carbuncle guild. He could meld into the shadows and pass through objects. He also seemed to wield blades and throwing knives. When they fought against each other, Gajeel said that Chase got inside of his body and pierced him from the inside out with several blades before leaving his body again, thinking at that moment that he had won."

Levy pursed her lips as her eyes roamed over Gajeel before coming to rest on his face. His lips were pursed as sweat beaded over his iron studded brows, eyes closed tightly as his face twisted into a painful scowl.

"Before he attacked he told Gajeel ' _I lurk far and wide within the darkness, just as sins do_ ' and at the time he hadn't thought anything about it, but now, him and I think that it must have something to do with those." Lily added, gesturing towards the kanji that marked Gajeel's skin.

Levy sucked in a breath as the pieces of the puzzle fell together in her mind. "It's an enchantment. One deliberately chosen against Gajeel to reap maximum damage against him, even long after the fight was over."

At the revelation, Gajeel snickered morosely at himself. Levy did not share in his dark sense of humor, finding the situation quite serious.

"He must have had pretty intimate knowledge of you beforehand to prepare such an enchantment. He used your dark past against you and allowed that corruption to keep your wounds from healing, like an anticoagulant spreading throughout your blood; 'far and wide within the darkness'."

The Script Mage took a deep breath, her heart aching for the Dragon Slayer. He had worked hard to leave his dark past behind, and it seemed like no matter what he did, it came back to haunt him. Except this time it was killing him; his many sins allowing the enchantment to spread uninhibited throughout his insides where he'd been punctured.

Levy moved her hand to drift down to rest on Gajeel's chest, over his heart. His skin burned beneath her touch but his heart beat strongly against her fingers. He finally allowed her to touch him, no longer fearing that his ailment could spread to her. She was too vivid, too bright. The darkness within him stood no chance of corrupting her. A sense of relief washed over him, glad that she couldn't be inadvertently hurt by him. A stabbing pain radiated through his body then and he turned his head away from her, his eyes closing as he grimaced, teeth clenched.

"So, can you dispel it?" Lily asked, his tone hopeful.

"Yes, I can." Levy answered firmly, her eyes moving to her hand resting on Gajeel's chest, then down at the numerous kanji burned into his skin. "I'll need something first, though."

She'd given her request to Lily and Mira and the two had rocketed from the room, leaving Levy alone with the ailing Dragon Slayer. Levy was deep in thought as she stood by his side, her eyes open, but not seeing as she was withdrawn into her mind, mulling over her options for dispelling the enchantment. She didn't see his arm raise, or the hand that moved towards hers until his palm rested on the back of her hand, his fingers curling weakly around hers in a soft embrace.

Levy was snapped from her thoughts, her breath hitching in her throat as she stared down at him and their joined hands. His heart rate had picked up, his skin looked almost blue and his breathing was more shallow and rapid, the sounds within his lungs more pronounced. She'd studied enough medical textbooks to know that his system was trying to compensate for lack of blood volume in his veins.

"Listen, Shorty..." He spoke softly, drawing in a ragged breath. "If I don't make it..." He started, but stopped when Levy squeezed his hand in both of hers. A lump lodged in her throat, nearly choking her as tears stung her eyes. He was looking up at her, his gaze had dulled, but he managed a faint smirk.

"Don't cry over my sorry ass."

"Don't talk like that, Gajeel. Don't talk like you're giving up. That's not like you." Levy stated carefully, trying to remain strong, knowing that soon Lily and Mira would return and she would need to get right to work.

"Yer my biggest one...ya know." He groaned and Levy flinched.

"My biggest sin."

"Stop talking." Levy hissed, feeling tears starting to fall freely down her cheeks.

"And my biggest saint." Gajeel added softly, his eyes closing.

Levy bit down hard on her bottom lip to keep from collapsing at his side in a fit of sobs. "Gajeel..." she whispered his name between her teeth, her voice quivering. She drew in a fortified breath, strenghening her resolve. She just had to save him. The thought of losing him...

Just then Lily and Mira burst into the room. Levy carefully untangled her hands from around Gajeel's and turned towards Lily as he held out the object she required.

Levy didn't waste any time snatching her light pen and turning back towards Gajeel as she started writing out runes in the air above his prone body. It was an overwrite command, and beneath it she started writing with script magic over the _sin_ kanji, one by one, words of her own; she spelled out every single virture that the Dragon Slayer possessed. As she wrote them, she spoke them out loud with firm conviction.

"Loyal. Passionate. Brave. Strong. Honest. Confident. Determined. Dignified. Grateful."

Her voice never wavered, even though her fingers trembled out of fear...fear that he was swiftly slipping away from her and she wouldn't be able to save him in time. Lily and Mira both helped her to roll his body so she could reach the kanji marks on his back. Her fingers darted above the last remaining kanji and she didn't hesitate to state the last of his virtues; quite possibly the most meaningful one to her.

"Loving."

Levy took a quick breath as she lowered her hands, watching as the runes floating above the Dragon Slayer shot out tendrils of light towards every one of her script words, illuminating the room with a sudden blinding aura. Slowly, black smoke started rising from the numerous kanji as they started to fade, soaking into her script words and wicking up the connecting tendrils of light towards her overwrite runes. The last of the kanji disappeared from his skin and a distinct shattering sound filled the room as Levy's runes splintered and cracked above him before they exploded, the ancient symbols scattered asunder before they disappeared with a faint hiss.

Before their eyes, the puncture wounds started to close, the edges turning from sickly black to a healthy pink as the last remnants of the dark enchantment evaporated from his body.

Lily smirked and Mira clapped her hands with a soft cheer before jumping to embrace Levy.

She'd done it!

Gajeel's chest rose and fell slowly with a few deep breaths. The crackling was still present, but less distinct already as the iron in his system, no longer inhibited, started to work over-time in healing his body.

Levy heaved a sigh of relief and moved away from the bed to find some towels and a bowl to pour hot water in. Mira helped her bring everything back to Gajeel's bedside and tossed a towel over the still soaked Exceed before poking at Lily in a silent gesture for the both of them to leave.

Lily cleared his throat as he wrapped the towel around his shoulders. "Great work, Levy. I had no doubts that you'd be able to pull him through." He leapt to the floor then and started padding towards the door beside Mira, who spoke softly over her shoulder.

"I'll go let everyone know what's going on."

Levy only nodded in response as she dipped the hand towels into the hot water and pursed her lips when she heard the door to the infirmary click softly behind her.

Gajeel lay before her, clad only in his pants and boots, his exposed skin glistening with a combination of sweat and moisture from being soaked in the downpour on his way home. His angular face was relaxed, eyes still closed and Levy silently wondered if he'd lost consciousness in the time after the last words he spoke to her.

She'd saved him.

The gratification of that prospect swelled her heart to near bursting with emotion, causing her eyes to mist over with tears once more. Of all the times he'd been able to save her, she was finally able to return the favor.

Wringing one of the steaming hand towels carefully over the bowl, she brought the cloth gently down over his stomach and tensed, waiting for some kind of reaction from him, but it never came. Levy relaxed a little, moving her fingers to splay her hand gently over his skin, the cloth providing to be a minuscule barrier as she clearly felt the toned hardness of his torso beneath the material as she slowly trailed the towel up towards his chest, gently wiping away the sweat from his skin in an effort to cleanse him and give him some warmth from the chill of having been so close to death's door.

Heat flooded her face as she continued her gentle ministrations and after a few minutes, grew a little more comfortable in her endeavor as Gajeel's skin continued to flush into a more normal color. She only felt a little guilty that she was privately enjoying running her hand over his body, something she'd fantasized doing for quite some time. Levy moved slow, awed at the solid power of his form beneath her fingers as she traced over every dip and curve of muscle with the warm cloth. She moved up to trail her hand over his collar bone, her eyes drawn to the steady pulse of his heartbeat that flickered at his neck. She lifted her hand then, mesmerized, as she trailed her fingers over his smooth olive toned skin, noticing the slight roughness of stubble that dotted his jawline. Her fingers followed the trail of her eyes as she traced along the curve of his jaw then pressed her palm flush against him, cupping his face gently as she trailed her thumb feather light over the piercings above his chin before brushing over his sensual lower lip. _So soft..._ Levy marveled internally, her own lips pursing as she imagined his mouth gently pressing against her own.

Just then his chest rose and fell with a deep breath and his lips parted with a low growl of a sigh. Levy withdrew with a startled gasp as she stood at his side, her hands flying to clasp innocently behind her back as she watched his torso flex and his shoulders roll as he stirred.

"Gajeel?" Her voice questioned on a whisper, wondering if he was regaining consciousness.

"Don't...stop...what'chyer doin'." He breathed and a new flush of heat diffused through Levy's veins at his unabashed request. She noticed the slight trembling of his body then and the twitch of his jaw as he clenched his teeth in an effort to keep them from chattering together.

"You're cold." Levy whispered, more of a statement than a question and immediately withdrew the cloth she'd left on his chest and began to turn to take the bowl to fill with fresh hot water when Gajeel's hand shot out from his side to seize Levy's wrist with surprising firmness.

 _Far from it._ Gajeel groaned mentally as he suppressed another shiver from quaking his body, knowing full well it was his desire towards the small Script Mage that made him tremble, not the chill air of the infirmary.

Her face was the last vision he remembered before a suffocating darkness had consumed him. He thought for sure that he had died. The warm hands and gentle touch that slowly brought him back from the shadows, however, left him with growing doubt that he had truly died; knowing full well his scoundrel ass would not have been sent to Heaven. It certainly wasn't Hell, he surmised as he had lay still, allowing those angelic hands work over his exhausted body. His lungs had taken a reflexive deep draw of air and with it came the overwhelming sweet scent of the woman he now realized was the person behind the comforting hands that slowly roamed over him. He'd felt her withdraw from his side, her warmth fading away and he had reached out instinctively, grasping her wrist to deny her her retreat and groaned out his request that she not stop. He was thoroughly enjoying her touch as his body slowly came back to life and a fierce need began to grow within his chest.

Levy watched as he dragged her hand back towards his face and planted her palm against his skin where she had cupped his jaw before. Gajeel then moved his hand to cover her own, holding it in place as he turned towards her touch. His lips pressed against the sensitive flesh of the inside of her wrist as he inhaled her scent with a long intake of breath.

The heat that washed over Levy and pooled low in her belly was so potent that it threatened to buckle her knees. She gripped at the edge of the infirmary bed with her free hand and leaned against the mattress in an effort to keep herself from collapsing into a puddle of mush on the floor.

"Levy..." His gravelly voice rumbled as he spoke against her flesh, his lips leaving a tingling trail where they brushed against her skin. His fingers dipped between hers as he grasped her hand and pulled with enough force to yank Levy off balance and she suddenly found herself dragged up onto her knees beside the Iron Dragon Slayer. Her free hand had slapped against his bare chest from the knee-jerk reaction to catch her fall as she bent on her hands and knees hovering over him. Her captive hand was held above his head within his own, his fingers curled over the back of her hand like large, hot iron bars restricting her from drawing away, and she found her shocked gaze staring straight into a pair of deep red, lazily half-lidded, eyes.

Levy remained frozen in place, captivated by the lust she saw burning within Gajeel's gaze as he stared up at her. She watched as his eyes moved down to sweep over her body, taking in the sight of her hovering so intimately close then stopped to rest on her lips a moment before meeting her eyes once more. She felt his fingers flex against hers in a gentle manner before he again pulled up on her arm.

Levy gasped as she was pulled off balance once more as Gajeel stretched her arm higher above his head against the bed, the action bringing her upper body down to rest against his. She felt her breasts press against his chest and immediately her nipples pearled into hardened nubs against his body heat that soaked through her layers of clothes. A shiver of pleasure raced up her spine when she felt his free hand suddenly splay against her lower back, capturing her against his body. Before Levy could gather her scattered wits to react she watched as Gajeel tilted his head to the side and lifted to close the scant amount of space between them as he pressed his lips against hers in a tender kiss that sent a searing jolt of electricity to spear through her lithe form, igniting a maelstrom of fire within her belly.

A wanton moan escaped on a sigh as Levy's eyes closed blissfully, feeling Gajeel's soft lips move against hers as he stole one gentle kiss after another. She felt his hand on her back press more firmly as he pulled her closer against his body. The skin of his chest was scorching hot beneath her palm and Levy realized through her muddled thoughts that the Dragon Slayer was most certainly not cold. His body shivered beneath her and she realized that her own body was trembling too.

Desire.

The momentous force of their desires for one another clashed in the air around them, surrounding them in a palpable aura of sexual tension. Levy felt flushed as her heart hammered against her ribs and she felt Gajeel's heart matching cadence with hers beneath her palm. His lips continued to move against hers as Levy rose her free hand to comb her fingers within the damp silky strands of his ebony mane, grazing her fingertips against his scalp which caused him to hiss against her as he paused in his worship of her mouth. She gently fisted his hair, which ripped a low growl from his throat before he seized her bottom lip between his teeth, biting and sucking to give Levy the same pain-pleasure she was enacting upon him.

It was exquisite.

A sexy groan rose from her throat and Gajeel relinquished her lip to cover her mouth with his once more, swallowing her sounds as he finally released her hand above his head. He couldn't stand the temptation any longer to have both of his hands covering the small woman who took it upon herself to throw one of her legs over his torso to straddle his hips.

Her backside came crashing down over his painfully hard erection and Gajeel sat up abruptly with a yelp, his face contorted in what looked like pain and Levy froze, her face flushed the instant she realized her innocent folly and she started to move off of him but was instantly seized; his hot hands gripped at her waist and firmly held her in place. Gajeel panted against her, his face buried against the curve of her neck and shoulder.

"Don't...move." He ground out between his teeth, his voice pained.

"I'm sorry!" Levy squeaked, both awfully embarrassed and surprisingly afraid. She'd heard that the male anatomy down there was terribly sensitive and she was scared that she'd unintentionally hurt the Iron Dragon Slayer. Gajeel didn't say anything, just continued to breathe hard against her, the heat of his breath fanning against her collarbone and cleavage. His forehead pressed against her neck and she felt the sweat pouring off of his burning skin. She realized then with stark clarity that he was feverish.

She was brought careening back to the present as her eyes focused on the whiteness of the infirmary walls around her. His body was still recovering, and here she was, taking complete advantage of him. The feeling of shame pulled on her heart and a sound that didn't sound dissimilar from a choking sob ripped from her throat.

"I'm sorry..." She whispered again and Gajeel finally lifted his head from her shoulder. His hands still gripped at her waist for dear life as his glossy red gaze met with hers.

"Stop sayin' that." He said firmly, his voice husky. Despite his previous warning, Levy started to move again, leaning to one side as she tried to lift one leg in an effort to dismount Gajeel's hips. His fingers dug into her sides again as he pushed her back down, throwing her off balance as she suddenly gripped at his shoulders to steady herself, though she flexed her thighs in an effort to keep her bottom from coming into contact with his lower extremities beneath her.

"I hurt you." She breathed, her brows puckering apologetically.

Gajeel shook his head slowly, his eyes closing as he swallowed hard.

"No, you just about made me cum in my pants." He ground out, as his head fell back, giving Levy a tantilizing view of his neck. She fought the urge to run her tongue over the exposed flesh. She wanted to taste him, but she slapped herself mentally.

"I...we...shouldn't be doing this." She whispered, feeling guilty again for letting her desires get the better of her self-control. "You just about died...your body is overcome with a fever and...and here I am...taking advantage of your condition since I'm sure you're not thinking clearly..."

"My thinking is just fine." He cut her off, his red eyes burning with renewed desire as he lifted his head and took in the sight of her luscious body straddling his.

" _I_ think that you think too much." He grumbled, feeling her thighs quivering from her prolonged effort to keep her backside off of his lap.

Just then the door to the infirmary swung open and both Levy and Gajeel snapped their heads around to see Lily standing in the doorway, frozen mid stride.

Gajeel sighed with relief, better his cat to see the Script Mage shamelessly straddling his body than someone else in the Guild, they'd never hear the end of it.

Levy, however, blanched then flushed crimson before she scurried down off of the Dragon Slayer as he released his hold on her waist, studdering over words as she frantically tried to explain away why exactly she'd been on top of Gajeel.

Lily snapped out of his paralysis and stepped into the room, closing the door behind him before he held up his paws reassuringly to Levy to get her to stop sputtering incoherently, not wanting her to distress herself on his behalf. He already knew the extent of their mutual attractions to each other and was actually glad to see that they had gotten somewhere beyond the blatantly obvious flirting the two of them usually batted back and forth like a game of volley ball.

"Glad to see you're recovering well." Lily remarked cheekily towards Gajeel as he stepped up to the side of his bed.

Gajeel nodded. "Levy is a great healer. Her technique is...very effective."

Both the Exceed and the Dragon Slayer chuckled as Levy abruptly turned to hide her crimson blush, her hands busying themselves with tidying up the water and cloth she'd been using to cleanse Gajeel with only minutes before.

"Indeed." Lily smirked at her back. "Her quick thinking certainly saved you." He turned towards Gajeel then and fixed him with a exasperated glare. "Though if you had said something _sooner_ , you wouldn't have been so close to kicking the bucket."

Levy flinched, being reminded of how close she had come to losing Gajeel. Anger bubbled up inside of her then as she wheeled around and glared at the Iron Dragon Slayer.

"Why _didn't_ you say something sooner, you idiot!" She yelled, her fists balled at her hips.

Gajeel shrugged, then pegged her with a look she couldn't quite place an emotion to.

"I just...wanted to get back home." He muttered.

Lily snorted. "You just wanted to get back to Levy, which peversely almost made you lose her forever." He chastized and Gajeel frowned stubbornly before turning his head away from his two friends.

Levy felt her shoulders drop as the anger left her as quickly as it had come. Her eyes drifted over Gajeel, taking note of the goosebumps and the sheen of sweat that glistened off of his exposed skin. She stepped forward then and placed her hand against his chest which caused his head to immediately snap back around to face her, his expression quizzical as Levy started to push on him to lay back.

"You need more rest." She murmured and smiled as he acquiesced, laying back with a huff.

Lily smirked as he watched the two of them interact; a past time that he was beginning to thoroughly enjoy. It was interesting, watching the dynamics of their relationship twisting and turning like a living thing.

Levy pulled a heavy blanket up over Gajeel's form from the foot of the bed and draped it over his chest, tugging it up to his chin to be sure he was sufficiently covered.

"Lily's right." He muttered then, causing Levy to pause. Gajeel was staring up at the ceiling, his cheeks holding the hint of a blush. "I was worried about you...and just wanted to get back to see with my own eyes that you were okay."

"I was fine," Levy sighed, her brows puckering with a frown.

"When we had arrived back at the Guild with Master and I saw all the destruction and everyone beat up...I panicked when I didn't immediately see you. We were promptly told to debrief everyone about our intel mission and I didn't have the chance to make sure you were alright before we set out again, though I did catch a glimpse of you runnin' about, helpin' everyone else." Gajeel was still glaring at the ceiling.

"I just...got a few scratches and bruises. Nothing to be upset or worried about." She spoke gently, her cheeks warm with the confession that he'd been worried about her. Levy watched as Gajeel finally turned those garnet hues to fix her with his gaze.

"Sorry I didn't get there sooner." He sighed, echoing similar sentiments she had wondered about a few days ago.

Levy shook her head then, smiling down at him. "You're here now. That's all that matters."

Gajeel smirked softly at her words before he closed his eyes, his chest rising and falling with a deep breath before a shiver wracked his body.

"That damn bastard." He growled low then, his brows furrowing with a scowl, his voice sounding fatigued.

If Chase had succeeded in giving him a slow and painful death, Gajeel took solace in the fact that he would have gotten the opportunity to pummel the guy all over again in the after life. But, honestly, he wasn't in the least bit ready to leave this world. His eyes opened to thin slits as he stole a glance over at the short woman standing at his side; the woman who had saved his life countless times now in more than one way. The woman he would gladly give his own life to protect.

Yes...he still had plenty of things left to do in this life and when he thought about his future, all he saw was Levy.


End file.
